A Ray of Sunshine
by ShadowVixxen
Summary: This is a Naruto-based fanfiction series using my OC Mayuri Hatake and Arianna Kage (from smiles1116). It's a basic life story type fanfiction. Hope you like it!
1. Chapter 1

A resounding knock at his front door momentarily distracts Kakashi from his book, but he does not flinch. The knock goes off again and this time Kakashi glances up from his book and towards the door. It's late, and it's raining outside. Who - and more importantly why - would anyone be at his home?

A more insistent knock has Kakashi closing his book and answering the door, an irritated remark on the tip of his tongue for the person interrupting his quiet evening. But his remark is wasted because when he opens the door no one is there. He looks up and down the street, his irritation growing as he finds himself having gotten up for some pranking kids, but then a groaning noise catches his attention

There, at his feet, is a wicker basket covered with a blue blanket with an envelope tied to it by a black ribbon. He crouches down and takes the note, reading it.

_Kakashi,_

_You won't remember me and I don't expect you to. If you're reading this, I was unable to prove the doctors wrong and died after my operation. There are so many times I visited the Leaf, walked down your street and right past your home as I tried to convince myself to knock on the door. Perhaps I should have, then maybe this wouldn't be such a surprise._

_Believe me, if there were another option I would have taken it. The last thing I want to do is drop something like this in your lap after a year. But I can let go peacefully knowing you watch over the contents of this package with the utmost of care. I always loved you Kakashi, right up until the end._

_I leave you my most prized possession._

_Goodbye._

Prized possession? Kakashi raises an eyebrow. What could possibly be in this basket? He lifts up the blanket and stares at the bundle inside. Large, daffodil-colored eyes stare back at him from under silver-white hair that is unmistakably his, wonder and uncertainty very clear in them. Then, a smile breaks loose across her face as she reaches out to him, giggles and happiness abound in her expression.

"Oh shit."

Kakashi hurriedly pounds on the door to the flat with his foot as he checks on the little girl in the basket. He's soaked through but the infant seems to be dry. She has her eyes closed and is quietly sucking her thumb. Damnit Kurenai answer the damn door!

"What the hell Kakashi?" The ninja opens the door, her black hair slightly messy as though she's just woken up from a nap. "What are you doing here? And you're soaked."

"Kurenai I didn't know where else to go." Kakashi holds the basket out to the woman who, upon looking inside, takes it and hurries the soaked ninja inside and out of the storm.

"Hello there sweetie." Kurenai takes the baby out of the basket and holds her like it's the most natural thing in the world. The child reaches up and tugs on her hair and Kurenai pulls her hair away from the little girl. "Where did you find her Kakashi?"

"On my doorstep." Kakashi rubs his head with a towel as he hands the other ninja the note. "No name, no address, nothing. I don't even know the child's name."

"Mayuri." Kurenai wraps the blanket that was in the basket around the child.

"How do you know that?"

"It's on the blanket." Kurenai smirks and holds up the corner of the blanket where the name is embroidered. Kakashi mentally smacks himself for missing that obvious clue but doesn't show any emotion on the outside. He sighs and watches Kurenai with the child as the young Mayuri begins to fall asleep.

"You know, maybe you should keep her." Kakashi levels his eyes with Kurenai's. "I mean, I'm clearly not the father type and you're so good with her…"

"Kakashi, she's your little girl." Kurenai stands and walks over to Kakashi, holding out Mayuri to him. Kakashi seems reluctant but Kurenai smiles reassuringly. "Come on, just take her."

Kakashi takes the baby and, with a little coaching from Kurenai, manages to hold the small infant correctly. He had no idea anything could be so small and fragile. Mayuri opens her eyes and reaches out towards him. Kakashi offers her his hand and Mayuri's tiny little fingers wrap only partially around one of his.

"See? You're wonderful with her. I'll go get some milk." Kurenai smiles and leaves Kakashi alone with the little girl who captured his heart.


	2. Chapter 2

~6 Years Later…

(This section is mostly written by my lovely friend Ari. She wrote it for a one-shot she did for me and I asked her if she minded if I used it as a precursor in this series and she said yes. The only part she didn't write is what I've bolded. Thank you smiles1116!)

Naruto sighs as he slowly trudges through the rain, hands deep in his pockets, eyes cast on the wet ground. He doesn't even care that he's cold and wet, especially since it matches his mood. Never seeming to end, the loneliness overtakes him, leaving his heart heavy with sadness. He's soaked through and chilled to the bone, wondering if he'll ever find someone to call family…

… or to at least help ease the pain of loneliness.

After a long while of walking around the occasional puddle and letting the rain beat down over him, Naruto pauses. He sees a faint shape on the ground in the rain and hears a giggle. Entirely confused, he slowly approaches, only to find… a young girl, around his age, sitting in a puddle and smooshing her hands in the soft mud.

*** view change ***

Mayuri smiles happily as she settles herself in the mud. She had managed to escape from her captivity at home to play in the rain while her father was distracted reading the funny-looking book he wouldn't ever read to her at bedtime, and upon finding the biggest puddle, she had proceeded to splash around in it until there was plenty of mud. Then she had naturally plunked her rear down on the edge and begun to shape pies. To her side just out of the puddle's reach sits a covered basket.

She giggles in delight as she pats the first pie into just the right shape and carefully lays it aside. She shoves her hands down into the puddle again to get another helping of the thicker mud as a second reflection appears in the puddle. Her eyes lift to the young boy, who is clearly just as wet as she.

"Hi there!" She gives him the brightest smile he's ever seen, and his eyes go wide with uncertainty.

"Oh, um… hi," he murmurs, almost shyly. Mayuri quickly decides to make up for that.  
"My name is Mayuri!" She almost seems to glow like a second sun, brightening his world… even just a little.

"I'm Naruto," he says softly, uncertain of himself and fully expecting her to run off or something. But unable to help himself, he asks curiously, "What are you doing out here in the rain?"

"Making mud pies!" She exclaims this with sheer delight before surprising him yet again. "Do you want to help?"

Naruto hesitates, recalling all the parents pulling their children away from him and all the kids who purposely avoid him, whispering in hushed tones so they think he doesn't overhear… even though he does. "Are… you sure you want to play with me?"

Mayuri frowns then points at the puddle. "Stop being silly. Sit down and help me."

His eyes brighten instantly as he slowly gains a smile, the gesture unfamiliar on his face; as soon as he begins to smile, the rain begins to thin out. "What can I do to help?"

"You can make the pies, like this one!" Mayuri holds up the one in her hand then shows him the one on the side of the puddle. "Okay? Because I want to decorate them."

"Why would you decorate the mud?"

"Silly, they're pies! And people will eat them, and they will love them!" Her eyes shine and burn with passion, leaving Naruto to helplessly mirror her grin and excitement.

"Then what are we waiting for?!" He quickly scoops up some thick mud and begins to pat it in place, working hard for the pretty little girl called Mayuri. She giggles in delight again and pulls her basket closer, picking out the prettiest little violets and pebbles as she starts to decorate the pies, one by one.

Naruto glances up while he's working, watching the pretty girl with soft sunshine-colored eyes and hair as white as snow. He sees the pure joy in her eyes as she carefully decorates each individual pie, every single one getting just as much vigilant attention to detail as the one before, as if what she's doing is completely natural. He doesn't even notice when the rain lets up, the sun's warm rays beginning to peek through the clouds to warm them up as well as bake the pies.

"Oh no… now they're all dry." Naruto frowns and looks a little sad, but Mayuri smiles at him patiently.

"All pies have to bake, silly. You can't eat them raw!"

"We're going to eat them?" This makes her giggle again.

"No, but we'll pretend! And other people will pretend!" Her eyes glow with joy. "And one day, I'll make real pies and cakes and make them pretty!"

Naruto feels his heart ache; he gives her a small smile before looking back down at the pie he's forming. "I hope you do."

"And you have to help, too!" His head jerks up in shock as she continues to speak. "You make the pies even better than me! You have to help!"

With Naruto sitting still with an utterly shocked look on his face, Mayuri crawls forward, her eyes wide and serious as the black ribbon in her hair droops forward loosely. "Please Naruto? I don't want to do it without you."

**Naruto, unable to accept what the young girl is offering just continues to stare at her. She meets his eyes with an analyzing look before a smile brightens her features again. Diving into her basket, Mayuri fishes for something, searching for her very favorite flower. Brandishing the flower and a few others, Mayuri smiles at her new friend with her eyes closed. "This is called a Daffy-dill. A girl at the flower store told my daddy that they mean "new beginnings." I want my best friend to have it."**

The young blonde's eyes go wide as he slowly takes the bright flower. "Y-your best friend? B-but… I just met you today."

"Silly," Mayuri murmurs as she smiles at him, moving forward to wrap her arms around his torso. She lets her head rest against his shoulder, mud pie and flower squishing between their chests. "What does it matter when we met? I already know you're going to be the best friend I ever have."

Naruto feels his eyes sting a little as he slowly hugs her back, forgetting there's mud on his hands as he wipes at his eyes… then lets out a yell as Mayuri laughs and gently wipes the mud away with the end of her dress.

"See? Best friends forever."


	3. Chapter 3

~ First Day at the Academy…

Mayuri nervously toys with the tip of the silver pigtail at her collarbone as she looks at the building across the field. It was well lit and the friendly faces of the teachers made it appear very welcoming, but for Mayuri it might as well have been a haunted house. She and her best friend Naruto were in different classes at the academy, which meant that she was going to have to make all new friends all by herself. To say she was nervous was a terrible understatement.

Her yellow eyes spot her blonde friend as he races towards her in his orange jumpsuit. Naruto reaches his friend and swings her around in a hug. "Good morning Mayu!"

Mayuri, her world brightened by her friend, giggles as he puts her down. "Good morning Naruto. Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah." He smiles all goofy at her and Mayu begins to relax… only a little though. "Are you okay Mayu? You look a little pale."

"Yeah I'm okay." She smiles at him reassuringly but knows Naruto sees right though her façade. They'd been friends for a long time now and he was the only one who could see through her crap. The teachers all call everyone inside and Mayu gulps as Naruto pulls her into the building by her wrist.

"Here's you're classroom Mayuri!" Naruto smiles as they stop next to a doorway. Mayu hugs her backpack and peers into the room, worry and fear in her yellow eyes. Naruto hugs her tightly. "Don't worry Mayu, I'll be waiting right here for you when we break for lunch and when it's time to go home. So don't be nervous."

Mayu nods and he lets her go, watching her as she moves to a seat towards the back of the classroom before heading to his own for the day.

Mayuri enters the classroom and heads to a chair, feeling like everyone's eyes are on her. When she sits down a pair of girls, one blonde the other with pink hair, approach her with a smile.

"Hi, my name's Ino," says the blonde that Mayu recognizes from the flower shop that she frequents. "This is my friend Sakura."

Sakura waves nervously from slightly behind Ino's shoulder and Mayu waves back. "I'm Mayuri Hatake."

"Nice to meet you." Ino turns towards the classroom full of students. "Hey guys! She's nice!"

Mayuri doesn't have a second to be confused by that statement because soon she's surrounded by students all talking to her and asking her questions about herself. With a smile, Mayuri quickly falls into her new-found popularity with ease.

~ Lunchtime…

When lunchtime comes around, Mayuri is all but shaking with anticipation. She was up very late the night before with her dad making her and Naruto a special "first day" lunch. She'd gone all out and her dad had even let her roll the onigiri all by herself. She swings her backpack over her shoulder and rushes out the door to literally run smack into Naruto.

"Hey watch where you're-oh! Hey Mayu." Naruto catches her by the arms and holds her steady as she regains her balance. "Ready for lunch?"

"Yeah! I made it last night!" The two wander out to the swing in front of the school where they sit underneath the tree and talk about their days.

"We practiced throwing ninja tools today!" Naruto exclaims excitedly through a mouthful of rice. "I was THIS close to hitting a bulls-eye!"

"That's cool." Mayuri bites into her own rice ball and smiles at her handiwork. "I had to practice writing summoning scrolls."

"Did you make any friends?"

"Yeah. Everyone in my class seems to like me. Except that Sasuke Uchiha kid." Mayuri finishes off her rice ball and reaches for another. "But I don't think he really likes anyone. I heard the teachers talking about how he already does advanced jutsu and could easily graduate at the top of our class. What about you?"

"Y-eah. I made lots of friends in my class." Naruto hurriedly bites into another onigiri but Mayu suspects he's not telling her something. Nothing more is said about it though and the two enjoy their lunch.

~ Later…

Mayuri happily packs her things up for the day in her backpack, humming a song her new friend Hinata taught her. She'd had a really good day despite being so nervous this morning and was looking forward to school tomorrow.

"Bye Mayuri!" Ino and Sakura wave at her as they run out of the classroom.

"Bye!" Mayu waves back and smiles with her eyes closed. The last one out of her classroom, Mayu closes the door behind her and waits for Naruto just like he told her. After a minute, Naruto runs up to her and trips over his own feet, landing on his face in front of her.

"Naruto, are you alright?" Mayu helps her friend up with a smile and he rubs the back of his head embarrassed.

"Yeah, I just didn't want you to think that I left you here or something."

"Never." Mayu smiles and links her arms through his. "So, walk me home?"

Naruto's blue eyes sparkle as he jokingly bows to his silver-haired princess. "Anytime."


	4. Chapter 4

A black ribbon tied into her silver hair at the crown on her head, Mayuri happily packs her backpack for the walk home. Between classes and working on her ninjutsu at home with her dad, Mayu rivals Sasuke for top of the class and she's found almost a second home at the academy.

Her days are pretty routine: she and Naruto walk to school together, he drops her off at her classroom, Mayu sits between Ino and Hinata and goes through her morning classes. At lunch, she and Naruto eat together under the tree in the front yard and talk about their days and if they're going to hang out after class is over. He walks her to her classroom again and she attends afternoon classes.

Her favorite part of the day though is when she leaves her classroom and walks home with Naruto. He always makes her laugh, even when she's had a horrible day, and he calls her his "Daffy-dill."

Mayuri swings her bag over her shoulders and heads down the hallway towards home. Naruto was in detention again for getting into a fight so Mayu was left to walk home alone. As she heads out the doors, she notices how dark the sky is getting. If she wants to beat the rain home she's going to have to-

Her thoughts are cut off by the laughter of boys to her right. She turns to see a group of boys ganging up on someone else. Narrowing her eyes, Mayuri walks right over there to see what exactly is going on.

"You're such a little baby Aria." A boy Mayu recognizes as Kiba Inuzuka pulls on the hair of a strawberry blonde girl with frightened blue eyes. He reaches into her backpack and pulls out a little charm, holding it out of her reach despite her cries for him to give it back. "Wah wah wah. I'm Arianna and I'm not good at anything."

"That's not true!" Arianna says, her eyes filling with tears. "That's not true and you know it! You're just mad because I got a better score on our jutsu test than you!"

"Why you!" Kiba surges forward, probably to hit Arianna and before Mayu can step in and stop it, a gray and white blur jumps in front of Arianna and takes the punch for her. Kiba yowls and yanks his hand back, the pup having promptly bit onto Kiba's finger. Kiba shakes his hand and the dog falls off, landing on it's side at Kiba's feet.

"No!" Arianna drops to her knees and wraps the pup up in her arms, letting the tears spill out.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Mayuri yells running the rest of the distance towards the group.

"Let's get outta here!" Kiba and the other boys run off and Mayu runs after them for a few paces, making sure they leave.

"That's right! Run you cowards!" Mayuri glares until the boys are out of sight then runs over to Arianna, who is cuddling the seemingly unharmed wolf pup in her arms.

"My name's Mayuri. Are you okay?" Mayuri smiles as she helps the other girl up, scratching the puppy behind the ears. "What did Kiba take from you anyway?"

"Akiro's new collar…" Arianna sighs and deposits Akiro into her backpack. "My mom gave it to me and Kiba knows how much it means to me."

"Why don't we go get it back?" Mayuri smiles brightly at Arianna. "They probably went home and all we have to do is ask him for it-"

"No. It wouldn't work." Arianna puts on her backpack and smiles at Mayuri. "Kiba would deny he took it, plus he and his friends are all at their hideout outside the training field. That's where they hide the things they take. Thanks anyway though."

Mayuri and Arianna exchange smiles and Mayu waits until Arianna is out of sight before running back inside to Naruto's classroom, plan already formulating in her head.

~ later ~

Mayuri worriedly glances up at the darkening sky but then forces herself to focus on the task at hand. Armed with shuriken and throwing stars, Mayu and Naruto sit behind a bush near the entrance of Kiba's little hideout. Mayu turns to her best friend and holds out her fist. "Remember the plan?"

"Get in, scare the crap out of him, get the collar, and get out." Naruto smiles at his valiant best friend and bumps his fist with hers.

"Right." Mayu nods and counts to three out loud before they charge into the hideout after the thieves, just as the sky opens and the rain pummels the ground.

~ view change ~

Arianna sighs as she gently pets a sleeping Akiro next to her on the floor. She had been so excited to put the new collar on Akiro today, it just figures that Kiba would go and ruin it. She's torn from her thoughts by a knocking at her door. Weird, it was storming out, who would be at her door in this weather?

Rising, Arianna crosses the room and opens the door to find scratched up, sopping wet, muddy versions of the girl from earlier that day and Naruto from her class, smiling like idiots no doubt.

"Hi Ari." Mayu says, slightly breathless. "I think this belongs to you."

Ari's eyes widen as Mayu brandishes the collar that Kiba took from her wet but still in good condition. Ari gently takes it from Mayu and looks up at the proud duo in awe. Naruto gives Arianna a thumbs up and a wink and Mayu just smiles. "And you won't have to worry about Kiba and his friends picking on you anymore. Naruto and I had a little… chat with them when we went to get your collar."

"I…" Unable to find the words, Arianna just nods and thanks them quietly.

"No problem!" Mayu smiles with her eyes closed, a dirty cut on her cheek bleeding slightly. Mayu waves as she and Naruto head out of the apartment building and towards the street.

Ari runs to her bedroom window and yanks it open, about to yell out another thank you when she hears the conversation between the two.

"Sorry you're ribbon got ruined." Naruto puts a hand on Mayu's head but Mayu just waves him off.

"All worthy causes come with sacrifices," she replies, glancing up at the apartment building. "And I do believe that was one of the worthiest."

The two walk down the street and out of sight and Ari, smiling to herself, runs to her dresser and starts raiding the drawers.

~ The next morning ~

"Morning Ari!" Mayu smiles at the strawberry blonde as she descends the steps of her building to find Naruto and Mayuri waiting for her. Mayu smiles at the confused girl. "Since your house is right on the way to school from Naruto's, I figured we could all walk together."

Ari smiles and nods as Akiro bursts out of her backpack, proudly wearing his recovered collar.

"Look at that handsome boy," Mayu says, reaching forward and petting the dog. "It looks so good on you buddy!"

"I… I have something for you…" Arianna reaches into her coat pocket and pulls out a sparkly blue ribbon the same color as her eyes and holds it out to Mayuri. "I know you lost yours getting the collar back and I thought this one would look really pretty in your hair…"

Mayu takes the ribbon and promptly ties it into her hair, smiling at Arianna. "Thanks Ari! I'll wear it every day!"

Arianna brightens and the two girls giggle together as Naruto calls out for them to catch up. Mayu grabs Arianna's hand and they run to catch up with Naruto, inseparable from that day forth.


End file.
